Jailed Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko has promised to end her hunger strike if her health seriously deteriorates, her lawyer said, ahead of the prisoner's scheduled appearance in a Moscow court on Wednesday.

Amid reports that Savchenko was on the verge of death after an 80-day hunger strike, lawyer Mark Feygin said Tuesday via Twitter: "At least I have managed to get her word that when things get completely terrible, she will listen and stop. That's what she said."